Thursday, 25 September 2014

This
is a very jolly, lively song, not too serious I would think, in which Brassens celebrates
one of the most famous landmarks of Paris – the footbridge over the Seine
called Le Pont des Arts. The following photo beautifully captures its setting in the heart of Paris.

For history of the bridge click this link to the Wikipediaarticle. Brassens
is amused that the wind, no respecter of persons of whatever kind, mischievously strikes the bridge with its strong gusts, discomforting
and embarrassing stuffy people of all social classes.

- Le vent

(Refrain)

Si , par
hasard ,

Sur l'
pont des Arts ,

Tu
crois's le vent(1) , le vent fripon(2) ,

Prudenc'
, prends garde à ton jupon!

Si , par
hasard ,

Sur l'
pont des Arts ,

Tu
crois's le vent , le vent maraud(3),

Prudent ,
prends garde à ton chapeau !

Les
jean-foutre(4) et les gens probes(5)

Médis'nt(6) du vent furibond(7)

Qui
rebrousse(8) les bois ,

Détrouss'(9) les toits ,

Retrouss'(10) les robes ...

Des
jean-foutre et des gens probes ,

Le vent ,
je vous en réponds(11),

S'en
soucie(12) , et c'est justic' ,

comm' de
colin-tampon(13)

(Refrain)

Si, par hasard,

Sur l' pont des Arts,

Tu crois's le vent, le vent fripon,

Prudenc', prends garde à ton jupon !

Si, par hasard,

Sur l' pont des Arts,

Tu crois's le vent, le vent maraud,

Prudenc', prends garde à ton chapeau !

Bien sûr
, si l'on ne se fonde

Que sur
ce qui saute aux yeux(14) ,

Le vent
semble une brut'

raffolant(15) de nuire à tout l' monde

Mais une
attention profonde

Prouv'
que c'est chez les fâcheux(16)

Qu'il
préfèr' choisir les victim's de ses petits jeux

(Refrain)

Si, par hasard,

Sur l' pont des Arts,

Tu crois's le vent, le vent fripon,

Prudenc', prends garde à ton jupon !

Si, par hasard,

Sur l' pont des Arts,

Tu crois's le vent, le vent maraud,

Prudenc', prends garde à ton chapeau !

The wind

(Refrain)

If, by some chance,

On th’ Pont des Arts,

You meet the wind, the impish wind

Take care, hold tight onto your skirt!

If by some chance,

On th’ Pont des Arts

You meet the wind, the rascal wind

Watch out, hold tight onto your hat!

The bedraggled and prim'n proper

Malign the furious wind

Which lifts the woodwork,

Strips tiles off roofs,

Blows dresses high….

Of bedraggled and spick and span ,

The wind, I guarantee you,

Frets about it, and quite rightly,

Not in the slightest bit.

(Refrain)

If, by some chance,

On th’ Pont des Arts,

You meet the wind, the impish wind

Take care, hold tight onto your skirt!

If by some chance,

On th’ Pont des Arts

You meet the wind, the rascal wind

Watch out, hold tight onto your hat!

Of course if you base yourself on

Only your first impression

Then the wind seems to be a brute

Crazy to do everyone harm

But a deep examination

Proves that it's from the irksome people

He prefers to choose the victims of
his little games.

(Refrain)

If, by some chance,

On th’ Pont des Arts,

You meet the wind, the impish wind

Take care, hold tight onto your skirt!

If by some chance,

On th’ Pont des Arts

You meet the wind, the rascal wind

Watch out, hold tight onto your hat!

Georges Brassens - 1953
- Les amoureux des bancs publics

Le Vent -
Translation Notes (The Vocabulary)

1) crois's le vent ,= (Croiser quelque chose) to chance to run
into/ to bump into something - to pass someone or something coming in the opposite direction.

5) des gens probes ,
upstanding upright right-minded. ( There is a contrast here that can make you think that Brassens is, typically, making a reference to social disparity. In this context, I think though, that he is merely saying here that the two extremes of contrasting dress styles reveal the complete range of people picked on by the mischievous wind.)

15) raffolant de – raffoler de means – to be mad about – to be
crazy about- to be wild about

16) fâcheux – upsetting – annoying ie something that is a
nuisance or a pain – disagreeable/ unpleasant – unfortunate/ untoward. I use "bad tempered." It is self-evident that those who, because their clothing has been violently blown about, become very annoyed or angry, will, at that moment at least, be the most bad tempered. This is Brassens' little joke.

The following photo shows two characteristics of the bridge-
the venue for young romance and the unpredictable gusts of wind: